A conference held April 21-22, 2008, at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management and Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, explored integrative leadership in a conference titled: “Making Communities Work: Leadership across Public, Private, Nonprofit and Geographic Boundaries.” Using a case study format, and inviting people from all regions of Minnesota, the event marked the first time that the University of Minnesota Extension’s Center for Community Vitality www.extension.umn.edu/Community, the Carlson School of Management www.csom.umn.edu, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs www.hhh.umn.edu and the Center for Integrative Leadership www.csom.umn.edu/Page7412.aspx (now one year old) had convened a learning and discussion forum on the topic.
Many, especially in rural Minnesota communities, will recognize that integrative leadership is, in fact, the way work gets done. Here’s the definition: “Integrative leadership fosters collective action across boundaries to achieve the common good.”
So why are we talking about this and what’s different?
As explained by the Center: “The integrative leadership approach departs from existing models of leadership that focus, for example, on: traits, characteristics, or behaviors of individuals (e.g. CEOs or heroic or charismatic people); small groups (e.g., top management teams); intra-or interorganizational leadership; or visionary, political, or ethical leadership styles. Of special interest is how integrative leaders communicate with, inspire, and mobilize diverse coalitions that cross cultural, national, sector and partisan boundaries.
Core concepts are: Inclusion; Shared Purpose; Systemic Thinking; Inquiry; Constructive Dialogue and Innovation. The Center is dedicated to examining and advancing a new vision for cross-sector leadership so that it can be understood, taught and deployed to help solve some of the most challenging issues of our time.
The knowledge, talent and experience of the nonprofit sector, including staff and volunteers, are key components of the integrative leadership concept. Successful nonprofits understand they are all about community; that they can’t address their purpose and missions by working in silos, or by involving only those who think the same way as others in the organization. Nonprofits understand that they need and are needed by government, education and business sectors to make our communities the best they can be.
Lois Schmidt, NRS, Willmar
2 comments:
I am working with leaders in a non-profit religious area. The integrative leadership style or approach seems very fitting. Do you have any references for this article?
Thanks for your interest, Pamela. In addition to the Center for Integrative Leadership and other conference sponsors referenced in the original post, I will highlight Paul Vaaler, Associate Professor, Carlson School of Management. Here's a link to Prof. Vaaler's profile page: http://www.carlsonschool.umn.edu/Page2075.aspx?type=faculty&eid=93956886
Prof. Vaaler spoke to conferees on "Integrated Leadership in a Community Context." You may want to call or email him to tap into the very interesting and applicable information he provided at the event. For additional reading, two articles were provided among conference materials: one is "Theoretical Foundations of Integrative Leadership" by Barbara C. Crosby, associate professor, HHH Institute of Public Affairs crosb002@umn.edu.
The other is "The Design and Implementation of Cross-Sector Collaborations: propositions from the Literature," by John M. Bryson, Barbara C. Crosby and Melissa Middleton Stone, all from the University of Minnesota as cited here: Crosby, B., Bryson, J. & Stone, M. (2006). The Design and Implementation of Cross- sector Collaborations: Propositions from the Literature, Public Administration Review, Special Issue, December, 44-55. While I couldn't locate a direct link to these articles on-line, I encourage you to contact the institutions or the authors involved. Conference Co-Chair, Donna Rae Scheffert, Leadership Specialist, Extension Center for Community Vitality, may also be helpful dscheffert@extension.umn.edu.
Noting that you mention working with leaders in religious arenas, I'll close here with an additional statement describing the Center for Integrative Leadership taken from conference materials: "To accomplish (this new vision for cross-sector leadership) the center convenes thought leaders and practitioners from diverse disciplines to consider and propose new models and methods for dealing with such complex issues as world hunger, global warming, health care, free trade, disease prevention, equitable distribution of wealth, and international terrorism."
Lois Schmidt, NRS, Willmar
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